Bernard Gagnon · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio National Park, guided
Costa Rica's most compact park rewards whoever arrives early with a guide who knows which trail the sloths are using this week.
Manuel Antonio concentrates rainforest, mangrove edge and beach into a few kilometres of trail, which is exactly why it fills up. Entry is capped and ticketed by time slot, so the difference between a crowded walk and a productive one is the hour you enter.
A guided entry buys three things: the ticket handled in advance, a scope pointed at animals you would walk past, and someone who reads the trail traffic and turns around before the group in front of you does.
Tickets, slots and capacity
The park operates with a daily visitor cap and timed entry. Tickets are nominal and must be issued in advance with passport details, which is the most common reason independent visitors are turned away at the gate.
What the trails actually hold
Two- and three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchins, Central American squirrel monkeys, agoutis, basilisks, and a good chance of Black-hooded Antshrike and trogons along the shaded sections. Sightings are wild and never guaranteed.
Rules that change your day
No food inside the park — monkeys have learned to take bags. Single-use plastics are restricted, drones are prohibited, and beach access closes before the trails do. Bring water in a reusable bottle and plan on two and a half to three hours inside.
Manuel Antonio National Park in Manuel Antonio
Guided park entry, operated with a licensed naturalist:
Photographed in this zone
Full gallery
Park entry, timing and queues
Manuel Antonio is a capacity-controlled national park, so the practical constraints below matter more than they would on an open trail.
- Entry
- Admission is a timed, capacity-limited ticket. We confirm the slot before your date rather than queueing on the morning.
- Best slot
- The first entry of the day: cooler trails, sloths still low, and the main loop before it fills.
- Trail effort
- Wide, mostly flat main trail; the miradors add short climbs. Suitable for most fitness levels at an unhurried pace.
- Park rules
- No single-use plastics, no feeding wildlife, and drones are not permitted. Keep food sealed — the capuchins are practiced thieves.
Quepos and the park road are a long drive from Arenal or the Central Valley; plan the road day separately and quote it on our Transfers page. See transfer options
Manuel Antonio National Park, guided
Guided park entry, operated with a licensed naturalist:
Questions we get about this
- Is a guide required to enter Manuel Antonio?
- A guide is not legally required, but without a scope and a trained eye most visitors miss the sloths and the smaller wildlife entirely.
- What time should we enter?
- The first slot of the morning is consistently the best: cooler, quieter and far more active than mid-morning.
- Is the park closed on any day?
- Manuel Antonio has a weekly closing day and can also close for capacity or weather. We confirm the operating calendar before quoting your date.